Memories of Crono
by AsuraSantosha
Summary: Lavos has been destroyed and the world is saved but Crono is not. Lucca departs on a mission to save her dear departed friend but soon discovers something unexpected within herself that may change Crono's fate forever.


AN: Yay! The First Chapter of my first story is finally up! Please read and review !

Disclaimer: I do not own Crono Trigger or any of it's characters and/or settings. Those are all copywrited by Square Soft and belong completely and 100 percent to them and only them.

**Memories of Crono**  
By: Asura

The sun beat down on the lawns that made up the Ashtear Island, surrounded by sheer cliffs that dropped straight down to the deep blue ocean which sparkled gleefully as it looked up at the house covered with lush, green, over-grown foliage. The twittering birds hunting for worms on the lawn could not have asked for a more beautiful summer day.

Unfortunately, the mood inside the house was much darker. It wasn't unusual for the house to be messy and indeed it was. Tools, books, scrap metal, parts, blueprints machines, and wires littered the floors, tables, counters, and every other available piece of space in the house. The majority of the litter had collected a very thick layer of dust from months of abandonment.

Once belonging to a family of inventors, the house was now home to an individual. Being a part of this family, her love for invention and machine was not as strong as it once was. Since saving the world Lucca began to devote herself to more humanitarian goals became quite the activist spending much less time tinkering with toys. At first it had helped but she soon found that it too failed to replace the loneliness that haunted her.

Only a year ago she had been running off trying to save the world with her companions. One year ago today, one of those companions left them suddenly. This was the reason for her visitor today.

"Well, I don't know. What do you want me to do!?" The inventor barked.

"Well can't you do something? You're Lucca the Great!" The usually cheery blonde said making a large effort to smile.

"Yeah I guess..." Lucca looked away trying hard not to make eye contact.

"Wait a minute... You wouldn't be hiding anything from me Lucca, now would you?" The girl now looked as if she was about to get very angry.

"No, not really... Look Marle I don't even know if it will work." Lucca was exhausted and she just wanted to pretend like today didn't exist, that there was nothing special about it and no reason to think it anything other than a Tuesday. But Marle insisted on hammering the point.

"Well we gotta try! We can't let Crono's memory go forgotten and unnoticed. Our friends should be here. We should all be together to give him the honor and respect he deserves." Marle's eyes were clearly ready to burst with tears any second.

Lucca was silent for a moment. For the past year she had secretly been studying any aspect of time and space that she thought might be helpful in finding a possible way to bring Crono back. She desperately hoped that perhaps she could find a way to pop into the moment before Crono died and snatch him away but she would need to do so in a matter of milliseconds and all her research suggested that creating a time freeze was near impossible.

She needed to start accepting his fate. He did deserve honor and reverence for his death. He had sacrificed himself in order to save humanity; the least they could do was get together and pay him the respect that he was due a year ago. At the time they were too busy fighting Lavos to give him a proper memorial. Her decision made, she looked up at Marle and nodded.

"So what have you got?" Marle asked determination replacing the anger and sorrow her voice had previously held.

Despite the failure of her research to find the key to Crono's revival, it had helped her come to understand the dimensions of time much more extensively. Luckily, she'd found a way to reactivate the gates just before they had been weakened to almost complete degradation.

She did so using a more powerful gate key that used charged dreamstone as well as alloy from the sun stone and rainbow shell as an energy source. It had taken a long time to measure out the exact ratios required. Whatever had created the gates didn't seem to want them to be used anymore. It had taken not just one but three of the most powerful energy sources the planet had ever know to reactivate the gates again.

She smiled as she made her way to a hidden box in the corner of her room. She felt a little personal triumph as she brought out the new and improved gate key. Instead of the original bronze color, this one was jet black. Marle gasped half in disbelief half in excitement. "It gets better!" Lucca rushed before Marle could say a word. Opening up the box the rest of the way she revealed 3 more black objects, "I made copies!"

* * *

Four hours later the team of time travelers had been assembled. Even Magus, the anti-social dark wizard was present, despite his attempt to find a way out of it. Mourning the dead for the mystics was an idiotic idea but having lost his sister 18 years ago Magus understood the need for humans to mourn.

Frog in his usual candor thought it would be appropriate to say a few words for their dear departed friend. He rambled for what seemed to Magus like hours about duty and honor and Crono's undying loyalty. None were qualities that Magus held in extremely high regard unlike the green knight.

Ayla was next and despite her inability to carry on a coherent conversation, she delivered a surprisingly elegant memoir describing how "Crono Strong". The eloquence of the speech was slightly decreased however, by her inability to use any other tense but the present.

Next was Robo who was not the most poetic but did Crono's memory justice by playing what he called a video that he had edited of all the good times on their adventure. Not too far into the "video" the girls were all crying and even frog got a little watery eyed and Magus was sure that it wasn't just because he was a frog. Despite the amazing quality and effectiveness of the video, the applause that followed it was quite somber and reserved.

"Magus?" Lucca directed, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes and thoroughly hiding any emotion in her voice. "Would you like to say anything?"

Magus thought for a moment then shook his head, "I have nothing to say to honor Crono's memory." The reaction to his words were mixed. Marle scowled but seemed to understand. Ayla narrowed her eyes attempting to determine whether Magus had any ill intentions towards Crono's memory or any of the rest of them. Frog glared openly his sword hand grasped the handle of the Masamune tightly and if frogs could, he likely would have been growling. Lucca simply nodded understanding completely.

"Treachery!" Frog half yelled half whispered. "Magus, thou doth dishonor his name simply with thy presence!" And before anyone could even move an inch Frog drew his powerful sword cause the air to fill with a metallic ring. It was silent for the magical energy emitting from the Masamune.

Magus made a grand harrumph before turning away from the crowd. "I don't have to stand for this!" He started to walk away.

"Wait!" It was the princess. Magus couldn't fathom any reason why she would want him to stay. "Please don't go. I know you didn't know him very well, but I have a feeling that Crono would want you here." Magus turned back to the group, arms crossed but made sure to keep an eye on Frog and his sword.

Frog reluctantly sheathed his sword again seeing that the rest of his friends would not allow him to fill his vengeance today. Marle let out her breath not aware that she'd been holding it. She then turned to Lucca, "Would you like to go next?"

"…Okay." Lucca had never really been a great public speaker and this was a topic she'd been trying to forget for some time. She didn't feel at all prepared.

"I first met Crono when we were both about 6 years old. He was just as silent, kind, determined and expressive then as he was a year ago." Her eyes were brimming with tears, threatening to burst. "He was always excited about and interested in my inventions. He was always happy to help, not caring that he was often putting himself in danger." She seemed to choke and it took her several moments to swallow the lump in her throat. "He always stood up for truth and righteousness with no regard to his safety or his personal wishes. He had a great love for this world and all the people he came across within it. He wanted to protect those people and this world." She took a breath trying to banish the waver in her voice and continued despite its refusal to go away.

"But the most important thing to Crono was his friends. He lived for them, protected them, risked his life for them and truly loved them. To history he will be remembered for his deeds, as a hero to all people of all times. To us, his friends, he will be remembered for his heart, as the personification of virtue and love." She took a deafening breath in the vast silence surrounding her. Then she closed her eyes.

"Crono, you will live on within us, forever." The first tear finally rolled down Lucca's face. The silence held as Lucca backed away into the edges of the groups' semi-circle.

Most heads were hung low in a solemn silence for Crono. Marle finally stepped forward. Silent tears were streaming down her cheeks from Lucca's short but sweet tribute.

"Crono…" Marle called, sorrow filling her eyes and her voice. If it was possible, the tears began streaming down her face even faster. "Crono, we miss you. We want you to know that we wish you were still here. We think about you often. Your hopes and dreams live on within us. We want you to know…"

Magus was not sure how much longer she went on. His attention was now firmly on an object in the corner of the room that had somehow escaped his notice before. He felt as if he'd burst with lust for it. He knew it would be a most useful item in aiding his search for Schala. As much as he wanted it, he felt a strange reluctance to take it from people who had once been his companions in the battle against Lavos.

"We… we love you Crono…" Marle suddenly burst into uncontrollable sobs no longer able to hold it back, no longer able to speak. She ran to the nearest warm body which happened to be Frog and happened to not be warm at all, but he still managed to be comforting.

Lucca cleared her throat and wiped her own tears from her eyes, taking the attention from Marle. "I didn't really prepare much for this, but if you could all stay a bit longer, I can finishing making additional gate keys so we can all come and go as we please. I might be able to scrounge up food for everyone as well."

"Then let us return to Miss Lucca's house." Robo finished. Aside from Marle's occasional sobs, the group was silent as they returned to Lucca's house.

* * *

After three days Lucca had been able to make up enough additional gates keys for everyone. One day to collect the needed materials and two to process and create the new gate keys. With Marle and Ayla's help she'd been able to get her hands on enough dreamstone and rainbow shell to make 3 more gate keys. One was an extra, just in case.

As lonely as she'd been and as much as she had missed her friends, the past few days had made her so tired. She was very glad to see them off so she could finally get the chance to rest.

As the last of their companions passed through the gate, she breathed a sigh. "Well Marle, looks like it's just you and me again." Lucca tried to smile. It had become a difficult task in the past year. Marle seemed lost in thought and jumped when Lucca spoke. Then she smiled. A genuine smile that almost warmed Lucca's heart.

"Lucca, I wanted to thank you for everything. If it weren't for you, none of this could have been possible." She embraced her friend earnestly. They both needed the comfort. After a long embrace, they separated. Marle stood silent for a moment, closed her eyes, then opened her mouth to speak again.

"I feel him…. A lot. Almost like he's calling out to me." She opened her eyes again and looked at Lucca sadly. "It almost feels like he's not supposed to be gone." She looked at the ground again for only it, which lay beneath everything could truly understand her sorrow.

"I know…" Lucca had felt that way too. "It never feels like loved ones are supposed to die." A pang hit Lucca's heart as it remembered her parents. How joyful and exuberant they had been a mere months ago. _Lucca, where are your parents? _Robo had asked her when they reached her dusty deserted house. Brining up that too fresh memory on the anniversary of the day Crono died had not helped her get through the last three days.

"But somehow it feels different with Crono." She returned to the subject. "Something doesn't feel right about it."

"Lucca, I'm sorry I didn't mean to bring up such painful memories." Marle said realizing Lucca's thoughts. Lucca shook her head.

"It's ok. They wouldn't want me to be sad about it all the time." They stood in silence again for an instant before Lucca spoke.

"You know I tried to save him. I thought maybe…Well you know, being time travelers and all, that maybe we could find a way to bring him back." Marle's eyes grew to the size of teacups and her hair appeared as if it was standing on end.

"What!? Lucca why didn't you say so? Well, let's do it! Let's find a way to bring him back!" Marle was far too eager and much to ahead of herself.

"It's not that simple Marle. We'd have to find a way to either freeze time or jump in and out of a single time-frame in a matter of milliseconds without effecting the time stream and—"

"Well, Lucca, if anyone can do it, I know you can!" Marle interrupted, grinning with excitement for the first time in a long while.

"And even if we did, "Lucca sternly continued, "there's no way we could take Crono's time-stream without severely disrupting the space-time continuum."

"And that's bad right?" Marle asked.

"The Universe would probably implode and cease to exist." Lucca said simply as if it was a common matter-of-fact.

"I see…" Marle lost the brightness in her eyes once more but still managed a smile as she squeezed Lucca's shoulder, "It will be ok Lucca. I still have faith that you can do anything. If you ever do find a way to bring him back, you know I'll do anything I can to help. The others will too."

"I know, Thank you!" Lucca actually smiled then stifled a yawn. "I'm very tired. I think I'll be heading home for the night." She said stretching to wake herself up a bit for the walk home.

"Okay. Take good care of yourself Lucca and remember what I said!" Marle smiled once more as she turned away.

"Thank you, I will." Lucca lingered near her telepod a moment and shortly fell deep into thought. She was staring intently at the spot where Crono had disappeared a little over a year ago. It had been the beginning of their adventure, the most exciting thing to happen to all three of them.

_Would I still have done it had I known?_ The events that had followed had only caused her pain in her life now, but she knew that any of them would have instantly sacrificed themselves to save their world; even her, and maybe even Magus. Despite his cold and uncaring appearance, Lucca knew he was actually human inside and she had great respect for him.

There are many things that are worth self-sacrifice, that is exactly what Crono did. He sacrificed himself for them, his friends and the world he loved. Without a doubt, she would do it over again, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something just wasn't right with the way things turned out.

With a sigh, she turned and began to make her way home.


End file.
